Driver-made bulkheads

About 20 years ago, I loaded oiled bar stock somewhere in OH going to CA. It was the first time I had ever hauled the stuff and I didn't build a bulkhead. I was headed to one of our yards in Gary, IN and about 30 miles out, some nitwit cut me off and slammed on his brakes. As soon as I felt the thump against the bang board, I knew exactly what had happened and was cussing myself for not realizing that I needed bulkheads.
I got out of the truck and, sure enough, a bunch of the steel was sitting on my catwalk and I had a fancy new dent in my headache rack doors. Had to call a wrecker to get the stuff back on the trailer enough to get me to the yard, where I jumped on the forklift and straightened it all back up, built the bulkheads that I should have had in the first place, retarped, and headed for CA. Lesson learned.
Lesson learned. Would a bulkhead have stopped anything with momentum behind it? Nope, and it isn't designed to, that's why you place it up against the load, but it certainly would have saved me a wrecker call and a bit of embarrassment.

 

No. LOL.

CRUNCH. The linked image comes from elsewhere within this site. It contains a pic of a mashed tractor after a coil escaped from the deck and came through back to front.

Redirect Notice

 

What are you talking about? The white 4 wheeler is slowing for the exit and then pops right over into this guys lane.

 

What do you mean?
The car passed him at a constant speed, then as he got closer it slowed for no reason, at the last second they cut back over.

I just watched the video again, i stand my ground. That was a soft curved off ramp, that car was well ahead of the driver and slowed a way to much for no reason. From what i see in the video and depth perception can be off here, but at 20-30 feet from the trucks nose, the car make a swerve to the left.

Smith System estimates through some study it takes 1.5 seconds for the average driver to read, process and act on developing situations in front of them.

At we'll say, highway speeds and the car at 50 feet you will close that gap before you have time to get to the reaction step which would be foot on brake and applying pressure.

Well, if you can look at a car, and say ok, that car in the exit lane, they have three options, they can stay in their lane and exit, they can go to the right shoulder, or worst case they can realize last second that they dont want that exit. Now obviously the last option directly affects me and all the other traffic going in the same direction. If they choose the worst option, will i have time to go left? No? Will i already be passing them? No? So my only option is the slow down.

Now I just realized 2 of the 3 parts to avoiding what could happen. Now all it takes is acting. I can start slowing on my own will, or wait till the car actually does come back over. Which is the best option? Obviously slowing up on your own will, taking yourself out of the equation before it happens is the best option.

Our video guy though, kept at constant sleep and closed the gap very quickly, signaling he was already behind and was only at the reading the situation step. He had absolutely no where to go, but a hard brake to avoid it. And this is why i believe this was avoidable. I seen and i am part of these situations every day. Every single day, i deal with these drivers and i react accordingly to what i expect them to do.

I just read the car, i read every car. They all make the same movements i.e. speeding, slowing, swerving etc. Where they make those movements on the road and the expectation they will be stupid at that moment, thats when you have to read them, and expect them to do to do something stupid.

Obviously results will vary. I expect it.

 

And at what point did every four wheeler start making sound decisions? Expect the unexpected, maneuver your vehicle defensively, and you will, come out unscathed.

 

I disagree with the 6 seconds to perceive and react to a situation, at 60 mph you've traveled 500 feet in 6 seconds at 70 it's over 600 feet. How many times have you been cruising along and seen a foreign object in the road right in front of you and easily swerved to miss it?

 

I do not know why i said 6 seconds now, i am highly mistaken. Thanks John deere, i will correct my original.

But, here are some good facts.


Defensive Driving Course Online - 1st Nevada License Course

 

Post #17, at the .40 seconds mark start watching.